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Kil'zoth
Kil'zoth, or the King of the Mire, is a servant of the Old Gods that has lurked the Dark Woods for time unknown. Awoken one hundred years before the fall of the Greymane Wall, the King of the Mire was put down by the ancestors of who would later populate the Monastery of the Silent Crow. Kil'zoth's figure has appeared in numerous tales prior to his awakening, deemed little more than a tale to scare the children and a confirmed myth. History According to ancient tales of the natives of the Ashen Coast, Kil'zoth roamed the Dark Woods, feasting on any who would dare enter his lair. Through the vigilance of the druids of the region, Kil'zoth was sealed deep beneath a hole in the center of the woods that was filled with blessed water and would then become the Misted Basin. From Kil'zoth, stories tell that the Dread Lurkers came and that the Mire Lords and Mire Beasts are his servants, forever spreading the mists to shroud their master's resting place. Kil'zoth finally weakened the bonds on his prison after generations, seeking to wreak havoc on the descendants of those who had ended his reign over the woods. Kil'zoth was thought to be little more than a myth; impossible to have been real until the arrival of High Priest Falsemire into the woods after disappearances in the woods had reached an all time high. Falsemire Alongside two hundred and fifty companions, Falsemire delved into the Woods where Kil'zoth lurked. Unlike priests of modern times, Falsemire was known to be in full plate and wield two light blessed blades, akin to more of a paladin of current times than a priest. Recorded in Falsemire's final memoirs of his life, he recants the battle with alarming detail. The two hundred and fifty one men found the creature within the Misted Basin, attempting to use his old prison against the descendants of those who had imprisoned him, by poisoning the water with his own dark energy to drive the entirety of the Ashen Coast mad, as they depended on its life giving water for their main water source. The men clashed with the beast who easily wiped out half of their league with a sweep of his hand. Calling upon magics of old, High Priest Falsemire empowered his twin blades with parts of his own soul, impaling them into the King of the Mire. Weakened by the High Priest's magic, the great Kil'zoth was unable to call upon his full strength and was over whelmed by the remaining members of the attack force. With the last of his strength, he unleashed a devastating arcane explosion; killing all but the High Priest and one of his companions, Talhart. Kil'zoth's form withered to a skeletal husk, and he sank to the bottom of the Misted Basin. There, the High Priest called upon the spirits of his fallen comrades to bless the waters once more to act as the creature's prison before returning; the battle having sapped his strength and the absence of most of his soul crippling the High Priest. His companion however was reported to have killed himself following the battle, wrought with grief. Falsemire returned to the monastery where he formed the Order of the Silent Crow within it's walls to watch for the return of Kil'zoth. Cult of the Drowned In the battle with Kil'zoth, it was thought that he was truly defeated, and yet the perverse darkness persisted. The companion of High Priest Falsemire had been possessed by the unholy creature's spirit, using the human shell to spread word of his greatness to those who would listen. For years after, Kil'zoth would lead men and women into the Dark Woods where they would live as the Cult of the Drowned. They studied in secret the great imprisoning, searching for a way to free Kil'zoth. As decades passed, the cult eventually cracked through the sacred barrier and began to set in motion plans to revive the King of the Mire. With his mortal shell having withered severely, Kil'zoth was left motionless in his shell to await his resurrection. Around the same time, the Blades of Greymane began to scour into the woods to construct a road that would connect Brandon's Stead, Gregor's Crossing, and Bannhurst. Originally planning to leave the Blades unmolested as they worked through the woods, their alliance with the Order of the Silent Crow had caused issues, as they were the only ones who knew the art of binding. Ordering his servants to launch an attack on the monastic grounds, Kil'zoth's servants were able to secure one of the two holy blades buried with the original High Priest Falsemire; unable to grab the second as their attack was repelled by a Blades intervention. Kil'zoth poured part of his dark soul into the blade, corrupting the blade with his own power. The blade was stabbed into a large Dread Lurker broodmother, empowering her with the dark god's power. Essentially creating Xxala the Broodmother, a mythical broodmother that was said to dwarf even the largest of lurkers by nearly triple their size, the blade was left in the Lurker's care in it's den. When the Blades descended on the Lurker Den to purge it to prevent attacks on the construction workers for the road, Xxala rose to smite the Blades at Kil'zoth's command. Against overwhelming odds, Xxala was defeated by the Blades and the now corrupted holy blade taken by their order, wielded by Cladriah Felweaver. As the Blades began to make moves against the Cult as a severe threat, Kil'zoth's resurrection neared full completion. As a show of force, Kil'zoth manifested his will into his husk, using his power to nearly kill the Blades before retreating back to regain full strength. His servants reported the rallying of the Blades under Lord Berenal Grayblade with the second uncorrupted blade in hand. After a major engagement within the Misted Basin, the Mire Lords, revealed to be the original druids of old whom had bound their spirits to the forest, the Blades and the Raven Priests were able to seal Kil'zoth away yet again. However, the Cult of the Drowned absconded into the woods. Karin Blackmist was tasked with disposing of Kil'zoth's remains. However, sometime after, both she and the body disappeared; none knowing where they had gone. Kil'zoth's taint continued to plague the Ashen Coast for a time, as it gave rise to the corruption that targeted Yim'nir, and eventually the birth of Ca'ries, whom possessed Oliver Gregor and was the mastermind behind the First Range Rebellion and the Second Range Rebellion. While this fragment was inevitably destroyed, the impact left by Kil'zoth has become notorious in the Coastlands, his taint becoming something that must be avoided in rising again at any cost. Relation with the Mire Lords Kil'zoth shares many similarities with the Mire Lords, being able to call upon mist, though extremely black and dark in his case, and summon creatures to protect him. However, it has been shown the Cult of the Drowned corrupt the Mire Lords and they do not heed his command as the Dread Lurkers or the Cult do. Ancient texts on the Mire Lords that have survived in the Order of the Silent Crow's archives describe the Mire Lords as dangerous but stalwart protectors of the forest that seek to spread the mist to ward travelers away. However, if the Mire Lords do not serve to protect Kil'zoth, who or what they truly protect was speculated on. It was found they were the spirits of the druids of old, whom originally sealed Kil'zoth away the first time with the aid of the ancient Yim'nir. After they were successful, the great spell to bind Kil'zoth's power away cost them their mortal shells and fractured the ley line in the Ashen Coast. This fracture caused great amounts of Arcane to bleed into the area of the druids, binding the souls with arcane energy. Tasked with a singular focus, they spread magical mist through the woods to dampen the power of Kil'zoth, and to keep the ancient Yim'nir imprisoned, as he had been afflicted with corruption during his fight with Kil'zoth. While Yim'nir would eventually be freed during the Blades' battle with Kil'zoth, he would be purified by the very same forces some time later. As a result, the Mire Lords now wander to ward off the remaining taint of Kil'zoth, thousands of years having eroded most of their minds into being able to understand little more than just that. Category:Creatures Category:Dark Woods